Category: China

Nanjing – General Impressions

Site of the Nanjing massacre and home to the Ming Dynasty. The mighty Nanjing has undergone some tumultuous times… It was once capital and carried out all the administrative duties of the empire named Nanking.

The city is like Chengdu. It’s got large tree lined boulevards. Elms competing with the high-rise for sky space. It’s a like parts of Rio, leafy but built up.

I travel into town in the metro. I take a look around some of the main sights. I won’t go into them in any vast detail, but just to give you a general overview of what the city is about.

Attractions around Nanjing

Here is a map of the main sights around Nanjing.

Nanjing Map
Nanjing Map

Dai pai dang restaurant

Authentic Chinese restaurant

The Nanjing Massacre Memorial

photos

The Zhonghua East Gate

photos

Purple Mountain Observatory

photos

The Blue Frog Café

Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum

photos

Linggu Gate

Xuanzang Temple

Nanjing city walls

Gujiming Temple

Of all of them, I’d say I liked the Mausoleum the most, it was free to get in and had the best views of the city. Very nice experience.

Zhonghua gate was good also.

Nanjing recommendation

I’d like to go again. Nanjing is a nice place to hang out.
It’s less of a work in progress than this Shanghai area, which is preparing itself for the opening up of a free-trade zone in the next couple of weeks.

This means that Shanghai and the surrounding area, (of which we’re part), will be the subject of some extensive growth.

The Chinese are trying to cash in on this by throwing up all number of buildings and developments in the hope that the economy will explode. Nanjing is not subject to that level of growth and it shows.

It’s nice not to be surrounded by cranes and live on a constant building site, which is what it sometimes feels like here.

 

 

Nanjing Dai pai dang Restuarant

Situated at the top of the Deji Plaza, the Nanjing Dapaidang Restaurant serves food of the locality.

Dai Pai Dong
Dai Pai Dong Restuarant

It’s said that the restaurant offers street market food in the style of a restaurant. Some people have a thing about street food, i.e., they won’t eat it.
In China, if you don’t eat street food, you’re never going to taste any of the local delicacies.

Luckily, Nanjing has the Dapaidang.

You’re given a ticket at the door, as the queue is quite large, even at 8.20, when I arrived.
They have little benches at the door and pass you a menu so you can be mulling things over as you wait.

The menu is in English.

The service was in English…

Dai Pai Dong
Sweet and Sour Fish, Nanjing Noodles, Doughy Jiaozi, Bean and Sticky dumpling soup.

The food was a sweet and sour river fish (fresh from the Yangtze), Nanjing Noodles, Doughy Jiaozi, and sticky dumpling and bean soup.

This was a delicious meal of four courses which cost me 58 yuan, or £6.

Nice.

Kunshan Nanjing Express

Had the advantage of standing next to French bloke in queue yesterday.

He spoke Chinese fluently. This was lucky as the girl was refusing to understand my requests.
As I gave the information each bit was thouroughly scrutinised and highlighted for wrongness, which was duly corrected.
This is a moment when French piquant was used to good effect.

I avoided the seatless trains.

Thanked my French friend.

Am now waiting at the station.

Here’s a picture.

image

The journey takes about 2.5 hours.

Mid autumn festival

So.

We have a little two or three day holiday at the end of this week.

I may take this time to have a look around Nanjing which is a short distance away.

Mo0oncake Investigation

I’ve been planning to sample this Chinese dish.

During the mid autumn festivals, Chinese are overcome by thoughts of mooncake!
Both giving and receiving, it is very important part of the Chinese culture and celebration.

Mooncake!
Mooncake!

The mooncake comes in all different boxes. There are many fillings, which traditionally, are wrapped in a pastry baked in an oven. With elaborate designs on the top, the cake is of a heavy, doughy consistency.

Pretty filing, the cake should be enjoyed all over the mid-autumn festival.

The box shown, was dedicated by one of the children’s parents at kindergarten.

Inside the Box!
Inside the Box!

Gasping at the Mooncake!

Such an exiting thing! Have been looking at these stands in the supermarket!

They’ve been here for the past 3 months or so…

The favor of the mooncake knows no bounds here! Fer sure….

Many happy returns!

20130918_182116
Checking the Mooncake!
20130918_182332
Gasp!

Fill yer boots

Access Google Play in China, download playstore apps in China

Google Play China: Making US Google play into Chinese Google Play

This guide will instruct you on how to access Google play store in China, or any locale in the world!

It works for all phone types.

It works for all models and carriers.

It will show and make available all the apps and content as available in Google Play Store, US.

Requirements

Phone, USB cable, Internet connection, VPN access (I use HMA), Supporting files.

** Your phone MUST be rooted and running ClockWorkMod OR be able to INSTALL FROM ZIP**. You’ll need to access configurations and allow programs superuser privileges in the /system folder.

[sociallocker id=”5377″]

Supporting files.

[/sociallocker]

Process

Installing Google Play Store on any phone

  1. **Firstly, we need to access the Google Play Store – supported devices page and locate your device. If your device is supported, move on to step 4. If not, (and you’ll find many of the devices sold in China aren’t supported by Google), choose a device from the device list that is the closest approximation to your model.
  2. Install File Commander (included in supporting files). With File Commander, access the /system/build.prop, it will look like this…
    Access Google Play Store in China
    Change the product code for your phone so it works in Google Play Store

    Scroll down to the ro.product.model = GT-S7566
    change it to the model compatible with Google Play Store.
    in my case ro.product.model = GT-S7562. Save the file. A number of screens will come up asking if you wish to change the write permissions of the new file.
    Accept them.
    Restart your Phone.
    It will tell you Android is loading updated software and gave you a short waiting screen.
    Wait.

  3. Next you need to transfer the GAPPS file to your phone’s SD card.
  4. Install the GAPPS file: restart the phone in Recovery mode by pressing UP+DOWN+HOME+POWER simultaneously. Navigate to the GAPPS zip. Install the zip.
  5. Reboot
  6. You will now need to fire up your mobile VPN software to access Google Play from your mobile phone in China. As it is now blocked.

Your phone will now work with Google Play Store and all free apps.

Access Play Store apps in any location Worldwide

This little cheat will allow you to ‘pretend’ you’re a U.S. resident.
Google go to great lengths to make their products available under the correct jurisdictions. If you want your phone to ALWAYS have the maximum apps and content, things will be changing regularly to make sure this stays the case. Search on the ‘net or should subscribe (to my blog), to keep abreast of changes.

  1. Install the Market Enabler apk included in the Supported Files.
  2. Log on to your VPN service. From your VPN go to the ‘Help’ section or knowledge base. From here you should find information about allowing their service to be accessed from your mobile device.
    Using a proxy
    This is the Knowledge base from my VPN

    My VPN’s knowledge base looks something like this. It has all the information you need.
    The process isn’t a difficult one. The hosts guide will guide you through it.

  3. Fire up Market Enabler. Select one of the carriers (in the U.S.) by pressing and holding.
    Select ‘fake this connection now’.
  4. Fire up your VPN Proxy you just set up in step 2. from your mobile device. In mine, it’s in the other settings section.
    Access Google Play Store in China and Worldwide
    Access Google Play Store in China and Worldwide

    If all goes well, it will tell you your device is connected. You will now be surfing from the U.S. from a U.S. carrier for all intents and purposes. (Check this with http://www.iplocation.net/).

  5. Fire up Google Play Store. This will now be running as if you’re a resident of the United States even if, like me, you’re accessing Google Play Store from a mobile in China.

Disclaimer: If you follow this guide exactly in facsimile, you won’t encounter problems. I take no responsibility for your actions other than those following the method above.